Lunch at Subway!
Ah, Sedona, Arizona.
A few months ago I found a list of the eight most beautiful churches in the world. One of those churches is the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona. From the time I found this list and looked at the church on my phone, I kept getting pictures and articles in my feeds or whatnot on Sedona. A lot of them. Susan got pictures and ads for all things Sedona on her phone as well, because she has the “Spouse Internet Browser Checker-Upper App” which shows her everything I look at online. We got so many ads and pictures of the church, hiking trails and tourist sites, we decided it was a sign and we had to go there.
So off we went to Sedona.
We traveled to Flagstaff from our digs at the South Rim, then cut over onto the “scenic” road (89A) to get to Sedona. I will admit that 89A is a wonderful road, with awesome views, hills (some up — some down), curves, and switchbacks. The problem was … well there were two problems. First, we came to a point where the road went to one lane. We sat in a line for the longest time, waiting for the light to change so we could drive on. Turns out the last “vehicles” to come at us from the other side were two bicyclists, who took a lot longer to traverse the mile or two of one-lane road than a car … … while we waited … and waited … and waited.
Anyway, we finally got through the one-lane road section and then found out that the area around Sedona is a very, very, very busy place. There were cars and people everywhere. Cars were crammed into all the possible spaces for parking along this narrow road and people milled about everywhere. What people, you ask? Tourists, campers, walkers, hikers, hungry people, thirsty people, drowsy people, grumpy people, happy people, hot people, excited people, tired people, spelunkers, marathoners, bicyclists, yoga enthusiasts, fish collectors … … … and the occasional park ranger or other official-looking person.
Then, having made it through the “scenic” road that was overpopulated with people and cars, we got to the Church of the Holy Cross. Now, I had figured there would be a few people there, but not too bad. I was wrong. We parked at the first spot we saw when confronted with the masses of people who were all accompanied by their cars.
Did I mention there were a lot of people there? It was a mob scene. At a church — a Catholic church … I still can’t believe it.
Luckily, when we got out of our car there was a young man in a golf cart right there, and he asked if we wanted a ride up to the church, which we could see on top of the hill towering over us. So, there was a miracle for sure.
We got a ride up, squeezed into the church with the masses of people (the church is quite small). We took a few photo (with the flash off so we didn’t upset anyone around us and cause a scene). Lit a couple candles for our loved and/or departed family, went downstairs into the gift shop, bought a few things to support the church, and left. Miracle number two was that the young man with the golf cart was there, and we got a ride back to the car.
We had so many plans for things to do in Sedona. People we talked to told us it was their “favorite place” or “happy place”, and told us how nice it is. We had suggestions for things to do and places to eat. However, by the time we got back to the car on the golf cart, we had dropped any pretense of a plan for the day. We decided to try and get some lunch, and get the heck out.
We drove for a while towards the highway, right through the middle of town – with many galleries, shops, restaurants, and people. Lots and lots of people. Now, I grew up in Mystic, Connecticut, so I know what a tourist town is — and the drawbacks. This place is much, much worse than Mystic.
We found a Mexican restaurant. Went in. The door to the kitchen was swinging, like someone had just gone in. There were a couple people there — I got the impression they were not too happy. We waited … and waited … nobody came out of the kitchen. We left.
Found another Mexican restaurant. Went in. Could see into the kitchen. The two people in the kitchen ignored us as we stood there. I got the impression from looking at the kitchen that I didn’t want to eat there anyway. We left.
Walked over to Subway. Ordered sandwiches, Doritos, Cheetos, and drinks, Explained about the problem with the area’s Mexican restaurants and got a knowing smile from the clerk.
They were good sandwiches. And Doritos. And Cheetos. And drinks. But — we drove one and a half hours to visit an overcrowded church in a tourist town, and eat at a Subway. Then we had to drive one and a half hours back. Not the best day of our trip. Anyway, enjoy the few photos I took.
Thanks for reading.
Kevin
